Emperor Charles IV elected Greatest Czech of all time

Charles IV, the 14th-century Holy Roman emperor and King of Bohemia has
been making headlines lately. Just days after the news was released about
the discovery of his original burial chamber at Prague Castle, Charles IV
was elected the Greatest Czech of all time.

Emperor Charles IV, photo: CTK
Over 68,000 Czechs cast their votes for Emperor Charles IV in the final of
the Czech version of the BBC's "Great Britons" poll broadcast on
Czech Television. The emperor was followed by the founder of
Czechoslovakia, President Tomas Garrigue Masaryk with 55,000 votes. The
former Czech President Vaclav Havel came third with 52,000 votes, the only
living personality on the shortlist of ten which was released at the
beginning of May.

Charles IV, who was born in 1316 in Prague and died here in 1378, was the
son of John of Luxembourg and Eliska, the last member of the Bohemian
Premyslid dynasty that founded the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia.

The legacy of Charles IV is very tangible in this country. As the
monarch's champion in the TV show, architect David Vavra, said
"Wherever you look, you can see his footsteps". A
pious man and
skilled diplomat, Charles IV made Prague the capital of his empire and
brought the Czech lands to unprecedented prosperity. During his reign
Prague was greatly enlarged, churches and castles were built around
Bohemia as well as a stone bridge in Prague which has survived floods and
wars. A generous sponsor of learning and the arts, Charles IV founded the
first University in central Europe which to this day bears his name.
Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral, which dominates the city's skyline, was also
founded by him and became his final resting place in 1378.

Of all the countries where the poll has taken place so far, Czechs went
the furthest back in history. For example the British public voted Sir
Winston Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time, Germany chose its first
post-war chancellor Konrad Adenauer and French voters elected General
Charles de Gaulle.